Thousands of Central American migrants are digging in for the long haul at a filthy, overcrowded sports complex in sight of the United States, while a small number have opted to return home after clashes with border forces dimmed hopes of crossing.
The bedraggled men, women and children of a caravan of mostly Hondurans began cramming into the complex in Tijuana about three weeks ago. They now number more than 6000 in a space the city government first prepared for a third as many.
As the reality sinks in that those seeking asylum in the United States will likely have to remain in the Mexican border city for months, 350 people have asked authorities to help them travel home.
The migrant caravan rest at a sports complex where more than 5,000 Central American migrants are sheltering in Tijuana, Mexico. Source: AP
Jose Luis Tepeu, 22, from Guatemala, was sleeping on cardboard boxes on the ground. He said he would only wait five more days to see if help would come to take him to the United States, or even Canada.
"If they don't come, I'll return to my home," he said, saying that salaries in Mexico were too low for him to stay and send money home to help his family. "You don't earn well here."
To seek asylum, migrants must first sign onto a waiting list to see US border officials. The list already had a weeks-long backlog before the caravan came. Adding to uncertainty are US-Mexico talks aimed at keeping migrants in Mexico longer.
On Sunday, US border guards fired tear gas canisters at a smaller group, including women and children, that rushed the border.
The violence seems to have shocked some, and dozens more asked to be sent home voluntarily on Monday, said Rodolfo Olimpo, a migration official in Tijuana.
Migrants now face an extended pause as they wait for news of possible resettlement in the US. Source: AP
The overcrowding has also helped illness spread. There have been multiple cases of respiratory illnesses, lice and chicken pox, according to three city officials who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
With too many to fit into shelters, the migrants, who had travelled about 4800 km since mid-October, were ushered into the complex to wait until US and Mexican authorities settled on how to deal with them.
A member of the Central American migrant caravan, holding a child, looks through the border wall. Source: AAP
Many have been living in tents, while others are in shelters made from trash bags or patches of cold floor walled off with backpacks and blankets, enduring the harsh elements and lack of privacy as they had learned to do on each leg of their near daily 50km treks from northern Honduras.
But despite the difficult conditions, many seemed determined to wait in Mexico for their chance to make their case to the United States, with more than 600 applying for permits to work in Mexico just on Tuesday, according to the foreign ministry.
"It cost me a lot to walk almost 15 to 20 hours a day, and to go back now: no," said Anabell Pineda, 26, who has pitched a tent in the stadium beside a neat pile of bags and rolled-up blankets.
